Aggregating Obstacle Data for Aircraft Operator Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional obstacle notification systems for urban air mobility vehicles fail to provide relevant and accurate obstacle information in complex urban airspaces, often mixing verified and unverified data with varying accuracy, which can confuse operators and increase the risk of collisions.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that aggregates obstacle information from databases with real-time sensor data to provide aircraft operators with accurate, relevant, and visually distinct representations of obstacles based on their position and altitude, filtering out irrelevant or redundant information to enhance situational awareness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional obstacle notification systems are used, then the system is simple to operate, but the accuracy and relevance of obstacle information is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple obstacle data sources (databases, sensor data, live feeds) into a unified obstacle information system. This merging of diverse data sources improves the accuracy and completeness of obstacle information while managing complexity through integrated processing architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The obstacle notification system is designed to handle multiple types of obstacle data from various sources (verified obstacles, unverified obstacles, sensor-detected obstacles) and provide comprehensive obstacle information for different flight scenarios, making the system multi-functional and adaptable to diverse urban airspace conditions.
2Loss of information
If multiple data sources are aggregated, then the completeness of obstacle information is improved, but the difficulty of processing and verifying information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different processing and verification levels to different types of obstacle data. Verified obstacles from databases undergo one level of validation, while sensor-detected obstacles undergo different processing. This local quality approach allows comprehensive information aggregation while managing verification complexity through differentiated processing protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where sensor data validates and updates database information, and previously verified obstacle information helps filter and prioritize current sensor detections. This feedback loop improves information completeness while reducing verification difficulty through iterative validation.
3Loss of information
If all obstacles are displayed, then the information completeness is high, but the operator's ability to identify relevant obstacles is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments obstacle information into different categories (verified obstacles, unverified obstacles, sensor-detected obstacles) and prioritizes their display. The system segments information based on relevance to current flight parameters, presenting the most critical obstacles prominently while maintaining access to complete information, thus improving operator usability without sacrificing completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and highlights the most relevant obstacle information based on current flight context, position, and altitude. By taking out and prioritizing critical obstacles for immediate display while maintaining the complete database for reference, the system improves operator ability to identify relevant obstacles without losing information completeness.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are methods, systems, and non-transitory computer-readable media for transmitting obstacle information to one or more operator displays associated with an aircraft. For instance, the method may include obtaining aircraft flight information including a current position and altitude; retrieving obstacle information for a flight area; scanning the flight area with environment sensors to identify observed obstacles and generate observed obstacle information. The method may further include aggregating the obstacle information with the observed obstacle information of the observed obstacles identified by the environment sensors to generate aggregated obstacle information identifying obstacles in the flight area; determining obstacle characteristics of the obstacles located in the flight area; assigning visual characteristics to each of the obstacles based at least in part on the determined obstacle characteristics; determining a subset of the obstacles relevant to the aircraft; and transmitting information on the relevant subset of obstacles to a display of the aircraft.